First Baron's War
The First Baron's War (2E26 - 2E27) was a civil war in the Kingdom of Burgajet in which a coalition of disloyal vassals, primarily northern landholders (barons) under the leadership of Count Kthetër waged war on the newly crowned King Shefqet I. The war started following the unification of the two duchies of Lehguri and Kënezë and the creation of the Kingdom of Burgajet which put many northern barons at risk of harsher taxation. Background Duke Shefqet i Vilayet, in 2E21, inherited the Duchy of Kënezë from his brother Duke Xhaferr i Vilayet. The two duchies, although ruled by the same dynasty, were extremely different in practices and administration. The Duchy of Lehguri subsisted almost entirely off of subsistence farming, which one-tenth of the produce would be taxed by the crown. The Duchy of Kënezë depended primarily on the taxation of merchants and commerce, which resulted in an exemption of tax from local Barons and landholders. The unification of these two duchies under the agricultural south brought upon economic reform, which would impose new taxes on the Barons. Course of Events The unification of the duchies When Duke Shefqet i Vilayet inherited the duchy of Kënezë, he began to impose his own administration upon the new northern half of his realm, this greatly upset the landholders in the region who had previously existed exempt of taxation, with merchants upholding the influx of revenue to the crown. At first, several warnings were given to the new King of Burgajet, however, these were all ignored as King Shefqet I did not believe that the northern Barons would not be able to form an army large enough to oppose his. Any attempt to remove vassals who had opposed the King became impossible, as by doing so the King would only upset an even larger amount of his court. Emergence of Count Kthetër Count Kthetër, a relatively minor lord within the realm had begun to sow discontent amongst his northern neighbours, forming a secret coalition of lesser landholders and securing investments from the wealthy Barons. By 2E26 Count Kthetër had gained the support of the majority of Barons within the former Duchy of Kënezë. Count Kthetër had expected that upon declaring war on King Shefqet I and announcing his claim to the Duchy of Kënezë, he would gain the support of the rest of the northern vassals, who would, by sheer number be able to overpower the army of the King. Declaration of war Count Kthetër declared war on the King on the 27th of October 2E26, the same day he announced his ascension as the Duke of Kënezë. Over the next month, the count had secured the allegiance of the majority of landholders within the north. Over the course of the month, he had amassed an army of around 10,000 irregulars and 400 knights. With his new army, the Count campaigned against any Barons who had not pledged allegiance, securing the entirety of the north by December that year. King Shefqet I, upon receiving the declaration of war, called upon his vassals for levies, which, over the course of the month amounted to an army consisting of 12,500 irregulars and 700 knights. By December he began to march his army northwards to engage that of Count Kthetër, underestimating the support he had from the local landholders and not believing that he could yet have surmounted an effective force to oppose him. Battle of Bori Upon learning that the King had begun to march his army northwards, Count Kthetër set up his forces on a defendable hill near the town of Bori. Trenches, fortifications and tactical planning all commenced as they waited for the King's forces to arrive. King Shefqet arrived near Bori by mid-January 2E27. The week following his arrival was spent surveying the land and awaiting the rest of his army to arrive. Several skirmishes between scouts occurred up until the battle was started by King Shefqet when his archers began firing upon rebel lines to little effect. Following the barrage of arrows, King Shefqet ordered the advance of his spearmen in an effort to break the rebel line, this tactic ultimately failed and the spearmen began to retreat. Count Kthetër ordered his lines to advance on the retreating spearmen in an effort to eliminate the entire division, this proved a fatal flaw as once his men marched off of the defensive grounds, Royalist cavalry, sent to cover the retreat routed the line. A general infantry push was ordered by King Shefqet which resulted in a melee. During the melee Count Kthetër was killed by an arrow. Leaderless, the rebel lines began to disintegrate and the battle was declared a Royalist victory. Aftermath In the wake of the First Baron's war, King Shefqet used the rebellion as a justification to persecute his vassals and landholders, eliminating any potential opposition and replacing them with his own dynastic members. The war ultimately secured the young Kingdom of Burgajet from any attempts of deconstruction and the Vilayet dynasty's grip over the lands.Category:Historical Events